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ORICA-SCOTT Women return to Italian racing at the Giro del Trentino

The 24th edition of the Giro del Trentino Donne takes place this weekend and will see ORICA-SCOTT Women return to what has been a successful hunting ground after Amanda Spratt’s win in 2015.

A versatile six-rider squad will line up in the South Tyrol region of Northern Italy as the team continues its preparation for the upcoming Giro Rosa.

After breakthrough performances throughout the spring and early part of the season Australians Jess Allen and Jenelle Crooks will get a chance to shine whist benefiting from the strong support of Alex Manly and New Zealander Georgia Williams.

The team will relish the opportunity of racing near their headquarters in Varese and sport director Martin Barras spoke of the additional excitement that comes with racing in Italy

“It’s an important race for us, especially for the continuation of our preparation for the Giro Rosa,” said Barras. “We always love racing in Italy and we have been based not far from here since the team’s inception. It is also really special to return to race where we have experienced success in the past.”

“For the girls this race will form an important part of the final selection process for the Giro and it gives those riders who will be competing an opportunity to show their form and that they merit consideration for one of the biggest races on the calendar.

“The parcours is very straightforward for the weekend, we will race on flat and rolling roads for around 90kilometres through the valley of the South Tyrol before finishing with a really difficult climb at the end.

“The climb will suit a rider like Jenelle who can climb well and has just come off a good week of racing at the Women’s Tour of Britain and we have Jess returning to the team and will be looking for her to get involved in any breakaway action. All in all we are looking forward to the race and we have solid options within the team to achieve a result.”

The line up is completed by 22-year-old Georgia Baker and the experienced Rachel Neylan who is continuing her return to competitive racing after last week's Women’s Tour and the two Australians will provide key support for Allen and Crooks at the weekend.